PDA
by peacefulsands
Summary: Eliot isn't sure what this is, but Nate knows. . . Implied Nate/Eliot


_**Title: PDA**_

Written for the lj community "nate_eliot" March challenge 2 - comment fic prompt 'PDA'

Word count: 823  
Characters : Nathan and Eliot

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine! Nothing related to Leverage belongs in any way to me.

Summary: Eliot isn't sure what this is, but Nate knows. . .

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**PDA**

They weren't big on the whole public thing . . . you had to look closely, really watch for the clues but yeah, if you watched close enough, the whole 'spoken for' thing was there to see. Eliot wasn't sure what to make of it; he hadn't ever had even this much before, not with a man and since Aimee not even with a woman. The best he'd ever been was someone else's dirty little secret, so to have Nathan acknowledge the 'something' between them in any way was a mix, a mix of disconcerting and relieving. He didn't know how to behave, this was quite definitely not some quick fling, more than a one-night stand but Eliot didn't know what it was.

He saw as Nathan entered and crossed the room, not even sure why the man immediately drew his eye, distracted him completely from the conversation he had been struggling to hold as it was. As Nathan reached them he smiled and Eliot felt as some of the tension he'd been feeling left him. The man Eliot had been talking to smiled and greeted Nathan confidently, the two older men shaking hands but it was there as Nathan brought his hand away from the greeting, the way in which he allowed his hand to rest for just a moment on the small of Eliot's back, the way his thumb moved, a gentle calming sweep, and Eliot looked at him, their eyes meeting and Eliot felt as another layer of tension left him.

Nathan must have been able to tell for there was a slight nod of his head and his lips gave a twitch of a smile in Eliot's direction. Eliot had stood on his own two feet for so long, independent, autonomous, self-reliant and this dependence on Nathan was unnerving. What if it was taken away again? What if this was just a game Nathan was playing? What if it was some kind of elaborate con? Eliot shivered, then felt as Nathan's hand moved further across his back, gripping his side and pulling him a fraction closer before releasing its hold. They weren't touching now but Eliot could feel the heat of the other man's presence like a furnace along one side of his body, the other side cold by comparison.

A moment later and Nathan had called a waitress over. "What would you like?" Eliot heard him ask the other man before he turned and Eliot felt him prise the empty glass from his own hand, immediately ordering a fresh drink finally adding a club soda for himself to the order. He hadn't needed to ask, he'd known what Eliot would want.

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It was hours later, they'd mingled and talked and Eliot was exhausted with the strain of performing, being socially acceptable. They'd spent enough of the evening apart, he'd seen Nathan confidently working through the crowd and envied him the smooth assurance with which he spoke to these strangers. He'd seen more than one woman drape herself over Nathan, felt a brief flash of jealousy combining with anxiety. What if that was what Nathan really wanted? What if he wasn't enough? He swallowed; trying to bury the fear and doubt within himself, convince himself that whatever Nathan was willing to give him, share with him was enough, more than enough, more than he should be asking for. He chewed on his lower lip, trying desperately to control the emotions roiling inside.

He was alone in a crowd, but was he alone in a relationship only he knew about?

"El?" Nathan's voice, filled with concern, broke into his thoughts. "You okay?" Eliot nodded, a short, sharp movement. "Eliot." Eliot was convinced he could hear the layers in which the word was filled with disappointment and he shuddered, eyes closing briefly.

"Okay, we've done all we need to do here. We're going home now, come on." Still Eliot's brain couldn't form words but he managed to get his brain together enough to shake his head, confused by the affectionate smile on Nathan's face. "You know if I didn't love you so much, I'd have left you at home to rest tonight like you deserved. You're still too beat up to be putting up with all this crap."

Eliot's eyes widened in horror as his brain computed Nathan's words into a rejection. "You didn't want me!" he finally whispered hoarsely.

"Fuck no!" Nathan laughed, pulling Eliot closer carefully, deliberately avoiding the spots where he knew the worst of the bruising was. Placing a gentle but brief kiss on Eliot's forehead, "I wanted you here way more than was good for you and I was too selfish to leave you home to rest but now that's where we're going." With that he cast his arm over Eliot's shoulder and, with a final wave to one of the women he'd been talking to earlier, he guided Eliot out to the car.

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Author's Notes:** Hope you enjoyed!_


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